Being a keen reader of historical novels, I jumped at the opportunity to read this new book by a debut author, and a few pages in I was already hooked. This is a book unlike anything else I read before.

This is the story of two young women living in 17th century Amsterdam. At the time, the Dutch Empire occupied vast Asian territories among others, including present-day Jakarta, at the time known as Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies.

The book starts with these two girls meeting for the very first time. Desperate for work and even more desperate to fill her belly with some food, Jana Beil, a poor girl escaping from her abusive father's clutches and a life of prostitution, knocks on Master Reynst's door. Mr Reynst is a kind, wealthy widower working as a shipwright for the Dutch East Indies Company. The door is opened by his daughter, Sontje, a beautiful rich girl, living the life of a princess and dreaming with her eyes open. The Reynsts accept Jana to start working with them as a servant. Jana works hard but she soon gets used to her new life with the Reynsts. As the weeks pass, she and Sontje grow close and become more like friends rather than the mistress of the house and her servant. Now, Jana has a small income, but more importantly, clean clothes, food and a warm attic room all to herself.

However, disaster soon strikes Reynst's venture at 'The Company', and he loses everything. Jana's world darkens once again. What will she do now? In a few weeks, she and Sontje find themselves 'Company Daughters', loaded onto a ship bound for Batavia, on the other side of the world, where they are expected to marry a settler and populate the settlement with Dutch children.

But before they even make it to Batavia, the defenceless girls' lives are put in mortal danger more than once. I won't say anything else not to spoil the plot. I'll just say that like the girls' future, the rest of the book was a complete mystery to me. I had no idea where the author would take me, what she had in store for the girls at the other end of the world and I felt excited to be going on this journey with them.

The book is divided into three main parts: part one - in Amsterdam. Part two - the treacherous journey to Batavia. Part three - Life in Batavia.

On the whole for a debut novel, this book is very good. It is well written and clearly shows extensive research into colonial history. With a love story at its centre, 'The Company Daughters' is based on historical facts, and I have to say I learned a lot of new things thanks to this book. I had never read anything about The Netherlands' history and its colonies in the East and I have never heard of the young, poor women that were sent to Batavia in the 1600s to marry unknown Dutch settlers. Today, this would probably be deemed illegal and regarded as sex trafficking. These girls had no other option but to 'emigrate' in order to survive. I can't even imagine the apprehension and terror engulfing them, barely in their teens, finding themselves at the mercy of strangers, on a 10-month long dangerous voyage with scarce supplies at sea, and then finding their innocence snatched away from them and married to and at the mercy of a stranger for the sole purpose of procreation, in an alien land filled with strange people, exotic animals, trees and cultures and having to endure the unrelenting heat of the country. That must have been terribly hard for them, a nightmare (for those who survived, anyway).

I really enjoyed reading this book and I loved the main characters, especially Jana and her remarkable resilience, love and courage. The author's vivid descriptions enabled me to immerse myself in the story, imagining myself there, in 1600s Amsterdam, on the ship, in the colony with the characters. My only minor gripe with this book is the use of certain Dutch words in the first part that the author occasionally throws to remind us that we're in Amsterdam. I found this irritating as there was no translation anywhere in the book and I would have liked that. Sometimes not even the context of the sentence helped me. Such words include: zaal, roemer, Lakenvelders, jambless and meerkoets to name a few. I'd suggest the author to avoid doing that in future books or else to provide a translation. But apart from that, I think she did a great job for a debut author. And I find no problems in recommending this book to fellow historical novel lovers. Well done!

With thanks to Bookouture for approving my request to read an ARC of this book on Netgalley.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review!

This book. I don't know where to start other than it wasn't even a tiny bit what I expected going in and blew my mind. I had to take a few days break from reading just to really let it settle and give it the time it deserved. This isn't a book you're going to finish and just put down never to think of again. It's a book I've told so many people about purely because I'm still in disbelief that it exists, that it's so magically written and most of all...

That it is based on true events.
The Company Daughters were real. This was a real thing, that they would ship themselves 10 months away to marry a stranger. Now, I'm loosely aware these things happened, because I'll admit to having a slightly guilty pleasure of reading cheesy romances about attractive and rugged men in the outback of the US posting adverts for brides. When I read the synopsis I thought that this book was going to be that. She ships herself over in say...chapter 2 or 3 then falls into the arms of an extraordinarily handsome captain or something and they fall in love.

I wasn't expecting a hard hitting, soul crushing book of a woman's struggle to survive.

I loved every moment of it. Breathlessly, and in a way that took up my entire brain. The book is split into 3 sections, the first being her work for a small household, the second is her time on the boat, and the third is her time in her new colony home. As equally surprising as the subject matter and the fact it's a true story, I was really surprised to hear that this book is under 400 pages in its print form - it feels longer. This book felt hefty, though that could be due to the subject matter as much as anything else.

It is beautifully written though. As much as the subject matter is dark at times, and more serious and hard-hitting than what I usually read; it's as pretty as a picture. From the blue crocuses that exist as a constant theme to the descriptions of the diseases on the ship; from the dresses and lace to the colonies they make their eventual homes, you will feel as if you are a part of this book. It's riveting, and exquisite, and gripped me from start to finish. It's as heart wrenching as the title suggests, but leaves you wanting just another page, just another chapter. Surely...nothing worse could happen? Surely?

The romance in the book surprised me, as the LGBTQ+ nature of the book wasn't mentioned on Netgalley or Goodreads, but it was a positive surprise. It is a gradual build of a romance between Jana and a female character within the book and happens so slowly and tentatively that it feels wonderfully real - I felt my own breath catch as Jana tentatively reached forwards, and rooted for them wholeheartedly.

It's important to mention that this book comes with the trigger warning of slavery and mentions of rape. I stupidly, and naively, felt a little blindsided and uncomfortable with the sudden presence of slavery but at the end of the day this is both set in a real place during a real time period, and is based on a true story. It's important to be reminded and faced with these discomforts. They were real, they happened, and as readers context is crucial - and we need to ensure these awful events and attitudes aren't forgotten.

Rating - 🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦/5

This one is getting 5 pigeons in the coop. It was immersive, heart-wrenching, and I feel emotional writing this review. It felt a little long and difficult in places, but it's supposed to - it's covering horrible subject matter. I'd like to read more from this author, and more on this subject matter.

This is the kind of historical drama that will appeal to a lot of readers but I find the prose to be a bit clichéd ("a howling scream deep inside myself, but fear locks the scream within") . The narrator also feels remote and makes some rather silly decisions for plot reasons. I'm afraid I'm going to give this novel a pass.

This one fell a little flat for me. Overall, the plot was good following one main character closely. It didn't flip between characters or have anything that was overly complex and hard to follow. The writing was also not complex, to the point that it seemed a little to simple at times with the main character sounding juvenile as she would have entire paragraphs where it was like "I did this. Then I did this. I felt this." Because of the simplistic language and the overall lack of complexity, I'm giving it three stars.

I was surprised by how quickly I became absorbed into this book, so much so that I ended up finishing it within a few days. Set during the Dutch Golden Age, a period of history when the Netherlands emerged as the foremost economic and maritime power in the world, The Company Daughters explores the role of women in grand historical moments.

There’s a huge amount of literature on the Dutch East India Company, a sprawling proto-conglomerate considered the first of its kind, with a dark legacy of colonial violence and exploitation. This novel focuses on the experiences of “The Company Daughters”, young women who travelled from the Netherlands to the Dutch colony of Batavia in Indonesia, and imagines how they felt: alone, sailing off into the terrifying unknown.

Our narrator, Jana, begins the novel as a hardened survivor who has grown used to relying on herself. She is the opposite of the privileged and naïve Sontje who has never had to work for a living and knows nothing about the existence of the poor in Amsterdam. At first, Sontje seems like an irritating character, particularly from Jana’s point of view, as she never seems to appreciate just how much Jana is doing for her. However, as the girls travel together to Batavia, the barriers between them break down as their social situations equalise and Sontje emerges as a more sympathetic and interesting character. Rajaram vividly evokes the cramped, dirty ships quarters the girls spend months on, with heartbreakingly sad and touching moments interspersed with inevitable bickering, and a feeling that their relationship is maturing and deepening.

One criticism I have is that for me, Sontje’s development is slightly too sudden and inexplicable, although perhaps this can be explained by the extreme change in circumstances.

Once they reach Batavia, Jana and Sontje rebel in their own ways against the constrictions placed upon them as women and wives. I loved how Jana uses embroidery as an outlet for her feelings of loss and frustration, and how it becomes a tool for her emancipation. The author conveys the feeling of being trapped in the same place and routine, surrounded by people who don’t understand you or don’t care. The novel also dips into discussing the treatment of native people and slaves by the Dutch settlers, with some critique of how cultures can be stolen and commodified by colonisers, which remains a relevant topic today.

I would advise readers not to expect an unalloyed happy ending, but the book does end on a hopeful note, suggesting that it is possible to find some measure of happiness even in seemingly terrible circumstances.

I really enjoyed this very interesting historical fiction book that begins in Amsterdam in 1620 where Jana Beil is a servant to a wealthy family. Jana falls in love with the young lady of the family, Sontja. When the family loses their fortune, Jana loses her job. Sontja and Jana decide to join the Company Daughters and go to Batavia to marry men there. The nearly year long trip to Batavia is very interesting, heartbreaking and sad. The last part of the book deals with their lives in Batavia and their lives after marriage. I think the author did a fantastic job researching and writing this book from a time period so far back.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very interesting, heartbreaking and sad book in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.
I think that this book was heavier on the sad side.But the colonial history,the female friendships and the team work made my heart joyful.
Recommended read for people who like historical fiction.

The Company Daughters is a creative novel. I love reading colonial history and this one has many interesting twists. I admired Jana's strength. Whatever life threw at her she met the challenges. She grabbed at happiness to emigrate to the Dutch colony of Batavia. I liked her relationship with the local women and how they formed a business together. I think that was the best part of the book. Rajaram capture the voices of seventeenth century characters very well with all of the highlights, but also the drawbacks.

Hard to believe this is a debut novel: The writing is so assured and descriptive, the plotting so tight, the characterizations so believable. The story also benefits from a setting relatively unknown to most of us in the West (or at least to me): colonial Batavia, or what is now Jakarta, Indonesia. The primary reason I'm giving it four rather than five stars is that I felt somewhat distanced from some of the most pivotal moments. That could be just me, or it could have been in keeping with the narrator Jana's overall psychology—probably both—but as a result I didn't experience an emotional wallop I'd have expected from a few key events. That said, "The Company Daughters" should definitely go on the to-read list of those who relish quality historical fiction.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and the adventures of Jana. It’s a book of three parts really - the time in Amsterdam, the journey to Batavia and then finally living in Batavia. Now I didn’t know much about this period of history and even had to google Batavia. No idea it was the beginnings of modern day Jakarta. I love when books challenge you to learn more about history.

I thought the narrative of The Company’s Daughters was excellent. I have to say I was very invested in Jana as a character. She has a strong core, an inner strength that allowed her to fight for survival in a number of situations. I love the resolution of her story.

There is a lot of triggers in this book for sexual assault. However, it is slightly distance from the actual narrative, you see the mental results rather than the event itself. I also loved the same-sex relationship between two characters which wasn’t common in the 1600s.

This book has a beauty and grace to it. The authors writing just flows off the page and although there are struggles and upsets by the time you close the book over you are filled with a warm glow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc. Loved this book! Some of the scenes were so descriptive even I felt like I was there. Loved most of the characters and how Jana was able to overcome such poverty for most of her young life and became the strong woman Someone from her past met again at the end. I felt every emotion while reading this story. So much thought went into this story.. Will definitely recommend to others.. Now I need to reflect on this story for a couple days.. This story will stay with me for quite some time....

This novel takes an aspect of history that is often overlooked--that is, the role of women in European expansion into South Asia. The two women in this book, though they come from different backgrounds, suddenly find themselves in the same situation, far from home. One thing that I truly appreciate about this book is that it does not shy away from the more gruesome aspects of history. Many books within the genre of Historical Fiction tend to romanticize the past, while this novel does no such thing. Instead, The Company Daughters embraces these hardships and painful experiences, which helps to portray a much more accurate picture of the real experiences that encompassed these historical events. On the other hand, however, while these hardships inspire some powerful scenes, terrible happenings are so numerous that it could become overwhelming at times. This novel is over 800 pages, and as a reader, sometimes the tragedy started to make me feel a little bit hopeless. 'Hopeless' is not usually a word that I like to associate with literature, which led to a four star rating. Overall, however, this was a powerful and insightful read. I look forward to reading more historical work by Samantha Rajaram!

After suffering from a book slump, and finding nothing worth requesting on Netgalley, I was delighted to be approved for, and devour, this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Jana and her travels to Jakarta (Batavia) as part of the Dutch East India Co and its “buy a wife” program for Company employees. My only complaint was I didn’t want the story to end.

A terrific read a book so well written,a story that drew me in, this is a multi layered thoughtful novel that is a special read with characters that come alive and keeps you involved till last pages,#netgalley#bookouture

This is a heavy book. It’s heartbreaking but still in turn a moving book. It’s definitely not a light and fluffy book but it’s vivid, with amazing characters who were very well developed who kept having to overcome adversity. If you want a super cheerful book, this isn’t for you but if you want a book that’s well written and truly makes you think and appreciate the characters, this is a great read.

I was enchanted by this book! It’s a delightful read that will have your emotions all over the place and maybe even shouting out what you think at the end. It makes for a nice read if you wish to get away from the cold and imagine a warmer climate. A nice winter read really :) the writer paints a graphic book that is easy to image as though you are standing right next to the characters!

I do not usually read sad books, in fact, I actively avoid them. However, I love historical fiction so I decided to pick this one up. It was kindly given to me as an ARC through NetGalley, but all opinions are my own. I am so glad I decided to read this. This book is so stunningly tender and beautiful, all mixed in with some seriously tragic and heart-wrenching events.
This story follows two women in colonial-era Amsterdam, and later Batavia. It deals with some heavy themes such as sexism, colourism, homophobia, sexual assault and slavery. A warning, this book may be extremely triggering to some. I found the use of tragedy a little overwrought in this book, as some of the later events lost their impact as I had already been exposed to so much of the terribleness occurring at that time. However, I do think it added to the realism of the book - a lot of historical fiction writers tend to gloss over some of the more unsavoury aspects of this particular era, and I appreciate Rajaram's ability to include the horrors of slavery, malnutrition/disease and the position of women in society without flinching.
Rajaram is an extremely skilled writer, and I love her writing style. I was extremely surprised to find out that this was her debut novel. Initally, I found the interspersion of Dutch and English words a little distracting, but I soon got used to it. Her character development is stunning, and the book as a whole is extremely character-driven and not much focus is given to the intricacies of the plot. I do think that there could've been more focus to the plot as a whole, but I hardly noticed while I was reading.
Jana's relationship with the different masculine and feminine influences in her life was especially intriguing to me, and I found myself resonating with a lot of her thoughts and feelings throughout the book, as I'm sure will be the case for most women who are marginalised by society. The themes of sisterhood and female love were so present in this book and I found it very moving. I found myself especially attached to the characters of Madaleen and Griet, and I thought the character-development was the main strength of this book.
I would give this book a 4.25/5 overall. Rajaram is an exceptional author and I am excited to see what she releases next!